Dive shop staff store diving equipment into plastic boxes on Monday (2/10) in Amed village, Abang district, Karangasem regency, Bali, before they relocate to another area. The decline in tourists since Mount Agung was placed on the highest alert status of Awas (warning) has prompted the shop to temporarily move their operations to another beach.
"Aghhh...!" The cry from Bayu Boderingan, 28, surprised his three friends on the veranda of the Two Fish Divers rental shop on Amed Beach in Abang district, Karangasem regency, Bali, on Monday. Ants had started a nest in some of his diving equipment.
Since Mount Agung was raised to the highest volcano alert level of awas (warning) on Sept. 22, the diving equipment had not been used. No tourists had come since then. "Many tourists cancelled their visits. They are afraid that the Mt Agung volcano will erupt,” said Bayu.
Located beyond the 12-kilometer radius from Mt Agung’s summit, he added, Amed was not a restricted area. However, tourists were worried that their holiday at Amed Beach would be disrupted by the eruption.
"Usually, we serve between seven to eight tourists from morning to night every day. However, no one has come for almost two weeks," he said. Because of the lack of tourists, the diving equipment has been packed up. The Two Fish Divers owner plans to move the shop to Nusa Lembongan. Bayu did not know how long he would be away from Amed. It all depended on the condition of Mt Agung.
Sitting next to Bayu, local fisherman Wayan Supartha, 46, felt the same. He was not as excited, although there were a lot of fishes in the sea. "After seven months of the off-season, now is the best time to fish. In the sea about 4 kilometers from the beach, I am sure I could catch 1 quintal [100 kilograms] of fish if I went out to sea from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.," he said.
Last week, Wayan decided to cut his time at sea, and fished only from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.Wayan only caught about 20 kilograms per day, but he did not regret it, because even if he made a large catch, not many people would buy his fish. This was understandable because many people have been evacuated, especially those in the red zone, so the price of fish has fallen from Rp 5,000 to Rp 2,000 per fish.
"I don’t have much money now. But I believe after Mt Agung erupts, there will be many blessings for us who live in the vicinity," said Wayan.
Mt Agung’s blessings
Wayan is right. Amed Beach has received many blessings from the Mt Agung. Along with Tulamben, which is also in the red zone, Amed is a popular diving area with a sandy seabed.
The black sand, said to be volcanic material from Mt Agung, is home to a variety of exotic marine animals. At a cost of Rp 1 million (US$77) per person, divers can find colorful octopi to one of the prettiest shrimp in the world, called the harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera picta), which is about 5 centimeters long.
"Divers from Europe want to see the shrimp and shipwrecks. However, many also come here to learn to be dive instructor," he said.
For example, Jan, 40, from Hungary, has been studying here for the last three weeks to become an instructor. One of his teachers is Bayu, who has a rescue diver certificate. Bayu is not only a skilled diver; he is also trained to rescue divers in the water around him.
"I learned a lot here. In the meantime, I will go to Sanur. If Mt Agung’s activity subsides, I will return to Amed," said Jan.
Amed is also famous for its delicious mackerel, which is one of the favorite fish among buyers at Karangasem Market. Its off-season price can reach Rp 12,500 per head.
Wayan told a story he heard from his parents that the fish around Amed got their nutrients from Mt Agung. They believed that some of the volcanic minerals from Mt Agung flowing into the sea have provided the perfect nutrition for fish.
"Most of the tourists who come here, like grilled tuna. Smoke from grilling the fish can be smelled late into the night. However, right now, it\'s hard to smell it. There aren’t any tourists here," he said.
The smell from cooking different kinds of foods in the kitchen of the Hotel Uyah Amed has also disappeared. No guests have stayed at the hotel since last week. It is quiet. The chairs in the restaurant are racked on the table. Some the hotel’s workers are sleepy, lulled into daydreaming by the ocean.
Activity at the hotel’s salt farm has also stopped. Salt from Amed is of prime quality and was certified as a geographical indication in 2015.
The present condition is vastly different compared to a month ago, when Amed Beach was packed with foreign tourists. The location is a favorite place to enjoy the sunset. The hotel’s operations manager, Uyah Kadek Suwarnewa, 39, said the hotel’s 27 rooms had a 50 percent occupancy.
Before, the hotel’s pier, from which tourists depart to the Gili Islands of West Nusa Tenggara, was always busy. About 150 foreign tourists used to depart from the pier each day.
"Now, the pier is quiet. I hope this condition will not last too long. Hopefully this is not the “sunset” for Amed," said Kadek.
Farewell
Earthquakes continued to rumble in the area around Mt Agung through Monday. Although the frequency of earthquakes has declined, hundreds of earthquakes still occur every day. Approximately 12,000 people remain in the evacuation camps.
Bayu and his friends have moved on, even if temporarily. When the sun was at its zenith, they finished packing the diving equipment into three plastic boxes and were ready to send them to Nusa Lembongan.
Before they left, the tuna Wayan had caught was grilled over charcoal. The fish was very flavorful.
"It\'s rare for us to grill a fish like this. Usually, we’re guiding divers. This is a farewell to the amazing Amed fishes," Wayan said, smiling at Bayu and his friends enjoying their meal.
He sold half of his catch that afternoon. He no longer needed to offer the fish to the evacuees.
"Later, when the mountain has returned to normal, do not forget to come back to Amed. I will serve Amed’s tuna. The smoke from the grilling fish will send up a delicious smell that will draw the people back,” said Wayan.
